Gerardo 'Tata' Martino stepping down as coach of Lionel Messi's Inter Miami, AP source says

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Gerardo ''Tata'' Martino, who guided Inter Miami to the best regular season record in Major League Soccer history this season, is resigning as coach of the club, a person with knowledge of the decision said Tuesday.

Martino — who was hired in July 2023, right around the time that Lionel Messi debuted for the club — made the decision for personal reasons, said the person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because it was not revealed publicly.

There are tentative plans for a Friday news conference with Martino and team officials. Inter Miami was eliminated in the first round of this year's MLS Cup playoffs, and won't gather for training camp to start the 2025 season until January.

The 61-year-old Martino — who coached Messi with Barcelona and Argentina's national team before reuniting with him in South Florida — gave no outward indication that he was thinking about leaving when the season ended earlier this month.

Inter Miami was 26-9-12 in MLS regular season matches in the Martino era, plus won its first two trophies: the Leagues Cup in 2023 and the Supporters Shield as the best MLS regular season team this year.

Martino agreed to a deal with Inter Miami in June 2023, then debuted with the club the following month once the process of obtaining his work documentation was complete. His hiring was one in a series of major moves for the club — along with the signings of, among others, Messi, Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba and Luis Suarez.

Martino coached Atlanta United to an MLS championship in 2018, winning the league's coach of the year award that season. This year, even with Messi missing basically half the MLS season because of injuries and commitments to Argentina's national team, Martino led Inter Miami to a level of regular season success never seen in the league's history.

''I want to say to our coach, Tata: thank you very much for an incredible season,'' Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham said to Martino in the on-field ceremony after the regular season ended and the Supporters Shield — which was previously clinched — was hoisted again. ''Thank you to your staff ... gracias.''

The next Inter Miami coach will have a hectic 2025. It's likely the team will venture out on another international preseason tour, like it did this season. There's also the 34-match MLS slate and Inter Miami will be one of the teams in the Club World Cup that starts in June as well.

Martino was hired after Inter Miami fired Phil Neville in June 2023, as all the Messi decision-making about where he would play next was nearing its conclusion. Javier Morales was the interim coach before Martino took over.

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